1954‘ish VH

SimonFletcher
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Re: 1954(ish) VH, re-registered ’57

Post by SimonFletcher »

So, since it's been a while since I posted anything, here's a bit more clutch nonsense.

I decided to stop messing around with the existing plates and contacted Geoff Brown, club gearbox specialist, who very kindly supplied from stock, new plain plates and new friction plates, plus 90 cork inserts. Also a new clutch centre nut and lock-tab, plus a set of five 'Jameson spec' clutch springs. The original clutch centre nut had been more-or-less completely mangled with a lump hammer and chisel. Some previous owner seems to have had a very limited toolkit, but thankfully had only got round to brutalising a few fastenings before some guardian angel took the bike off him.

New friction plates. Geoff's instructions on how to assemble these: "Fitting clutch corks is simple, place corks in boiling water for about 5mins, this makes them very soft and sponge like. Once softened it is easier to insert them into the plate." The cork inserts are still wet and swollen in this pic after the requisite soaking:

IMG_4346.jpeg

New cork plate vs. old plate with fibre inserts:

IMG_4347.jpeg

Cleaned up clutch basket re-attached using a set of nice new stainless bolts, courtesy of Acme Stainless. (lock-tabs yet to be folded over).

IMG_4478.jpeg

All going back together:

IMG_4481.jpeg

Geoff advises: "There is no need to sand the finished plates. Once fully dried ideally leave overnight before assembling the clutch. The freshly corked plates will take up the entire space in the basket but will immediately settle down once the spring tension is applied and bike ridden. It is likely the clutch lever will have a lot of play, be careful if making adjustment to the cable or gearbox push rod as the cork settlement will take out most of the additional play."

The whole assembly did indeed fill up all the space, and I did have to make adjustment at the gearbox end, which I anticipate will need pretty much immediate attention as soon as the bike is in use…

Definitely getting close now!
’54 VH,
‘72 BMW R60/5, ‘83 BMW R80RT
SimonFletcher
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Re: 1954(ish) VH, re-registered ’57

Post by SimonFletcher »

Its again been a while, but I have been moving the bike forward. Mostly been on the cosmetic side, but there has been some attention to the mechanical too!

Overall, the bike was a bit shabby as I have already alluded to, with numerous knocks and dents. The front mudguard, I have referred to before, but the petrol tank had also suffered. When the bike came to me it had BSA style handlebar clamps, and there were symmetrical dents on either side of the tank where the control clamps had whacked into the paint and the chrome when the bars were on full lock – probably flatter/lower bars than the correct bend bars and the rather fancy and nice Ariel pattern clamps from Acme (in stainless of course), that the bike now has.

After the paintwork I'd done on the mudguard, I felt confident enough to have a go at the tank, and without going into too much detail, the dents were repaired and I resprayed the front of the tank, blending the paint into the original at the back. All the while I've been working on the bike, I've been trying to retain some of the more desirable careworn marks the bike has accumulated, whilst attending to the more serious bangs and scrapes that bring it down, so while the paint at the back of the tank had a few minor scratches and scuffs, I've been content to leave them. Entirely subjective, of course, but I didn't want to entirely erase it's history.

The gold lining is tape, sadly, but the top lining is at least more in line with the centre of the badge…

Anyway. Visually, I'm quite happy with it for the moment. Here are a few pics:

IMG_5457 (1).jpeg

IMG_5449.jpeg

IMG_5320.jpeg

IMG_5266.jpeg


Mechanical stuff next…
Last edited by SimonFletcher on Mon Jul 25, 2022 1:28 pm, edited 2 times in total.
’54 VH,
‘72 BMW R60/5, ‘83 BMW R80RT
SimonFletcher
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Re: 1954(ish) VH, re-registered ’57

Post by SimonFletcher »

A quick mention for the clutch dome, which had a rather nasty dent in it, I managed to more or less completely ease it slowly out using similar methods to those I used to straighten the front mudguard – utilsing the curvature and weight of the end of a large adjustable spanner and an old but very thick and dense coir doormat as the anvil. Any self-respecting panel beater would have a fit…

IMG_4209.jpeg

IMG_4213.jpeg
’54 VH,
‘72 BMW R60/5, ‘83 BMW R80RT
SimonFletcher
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Re: 1954(ish) VH, re-registered ’57

Post by SimonFletcher »

The oil tank has been cleaned out. One thing I'm curious about is that there are tee'd outlets both on the feed and the return from the tank? The return is feeding the rockers, but I'm a bit uncertain about the tee on the feed outlet? At the moment it has a long piece of rubber pipe exiting to the rear of the bike. What is its purpose? Lubing the rear chain?

The sump plate and gauze have been cleaned. The purifier was removed, and not really much compacted debris in there. This perhaps confirms my suspicion that the motor hasn't done a huge number of miles since a rebuild. Sump plate refitted with new drilled bolts from Acme, and wired in place – had to learn a bit about safety wire in the process.

IMG_4614.jpeg

IMG_4616.jpeg
Last edited by SimonFletcher on Mon Jul 25, 2022 1:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
’54 VH,
‘72 BMW R60/5, ‘83 BMW R80RT
SimonFletcher
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Re: 1954(ish) VH, re-registered ’57

Post by SimonFletcher »

Top end.

Worryingly, the cylinder head has undergone some fairly major surgery on the inlet side. There has obviously been some semi-catastrophic incident which has required welding work (not very precisely done, to my eye) where it looks like maybe some of the inlet valve gear has come adrift (why on the inlet, not the exhaust?) and taken away some of the inner part of the rocker box wall.

Another consideration is that on removing the boxes some very over-liberal and slapdash use of Red Hermetite concerns me, with thoughts of blocked oil-ways etc. Nevertheless, for the time being, all is working there and I was able to set the valves accurately and compression seems okay. On the first run, the rocker boxes leaked copious quantities of oil and though I initially blamed the solid aluminium gaskets that Drags supplied, I discovered afterwards that the boxes were not completely flat. They were rocking, but not in a good way! Some time spent with a sheet of wet and dry taped to a piece of glass, sorted that out.

To cure the leak once-and-for-all, I also cut some gaskets from a gasket material called Klingersil C4324, that I'm sure I found a reference to here on the forum, but can't find now. Available on eBay, 1mm thick like the Drags alu gaskets, but with perhaps a bit more flex and compressibility.

Anyway – oil leak cured. Condition and ongoing viability of cylinder head, yet to be evaluated…

I'm sure I read something Paul Jameson wrote about only having iron-head singles, and I'm beginning to understand why.

IMG_4638.jpeg

IMG_4639.jpeg

IMG_5331.jpeg

IMG_5334.jpeg
Last edited by SimonFletcher on Mon Jul 25, 2022 1:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.
’54 VH,
‘72 BMW R60/5, ‘83 BMW R80RT
SimonFletcher
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Re: 1954(ish) VH, re-registered ’57

Post by SimonFletcher »

IMG_5421.jpeg

IMG_5423.jpeg
’54 VH,
‘72 BMW R60/5, ‘83 BMW R80RT
SimonFletcher
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Re: 1954(ish) VH, re-registered ’57

Post by SimonFletcher »

6 posts in a row with no response and no activity since last July. Closing this thread due to lack of interest!

Admin — please feel free to delete :lol:
’54 VH,
‘72 BMW R60/5, ‘83 BMW R80RT
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Vincent.vanGinneke
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Re: 1954(ish) VH, re-registered ’57

Post by Vincent.vanGinneke »

Huh? why? if no one replies it means you are doing it o.k. !
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Re: 1954(ish) VH, re-registered ’57

Post by simon.holyfield »

SimonFletcher wrote: Thu Feb 09, 2023 8:46 pm 6 posts in a row with no response and no activity since last July. Closing this thread due to lack of interest!

Admin — please feel free to delete :lol:
Yeah don't close it - we are reading it!
cheers

Simes

'51 Square Four,
'58 Huntmaster,
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'30 Model A
https://ariel-square-four.blogspot.com
SimonFletcher
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Re: 1954(ish) VH, re-registered ’57

Post by SimonFletcher »

Vincent.vanGinneke wrote: Thu Feb 09, 2023 9:55 pm Huh? why? if no one replies it means you are doing it o.k. !
My assumption is that people aren't much interested. Over six reasonably detailed posts with photos etc. I asked a number of questions and no-one answered!

The thing I'm most concerned about is the condition of the cylinder head (as in the photos). It's obviously had a fairly major repair in the area around the inlet valve, and having read a number of none-too-encouraging comments on the forum about the aluminium heads on the later singles, e.g. "…one of the reasons I will only own an all iron engined single", it feels a bit like I'm riding a ticking time-bomb?

I'd like to start taking the bike on longer runs – maybe even, heaven forbid, a club event, but I would like to feel a bit more confident in doing so.

Then, I asked some questions re the pipes tee'd off from the oil feed and return.

Silence can be golden - but not always!
’54 VH,
‘72 BMW R60/5, ‘83 BMW R80RT
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